Concepts
The irreducible epistemic atoms underlying the curriculum. 4,828 atoms across 8 types
Design pre-commitments when calm to constrain behavior…
Design pre-commitment rules during cold cognitive states (well-rested, calm, not under deadline pressure) to constrain behavior during hot cognitive states (stressed, depleted, emotionally activated), never vice versa.
Pre-define how long you'll persist with slow-feedback…
Separate the decision to continue a slow-feedback strategy from subjective feelings of progress by defining persistence duration in advance, because delayed systems provide zero felt momentum before delivering concentrated results.
Set RTO and RPO before failure, not during crisis — define…
Set Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) that define maximum acceptable downtime and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) that define maximum acceptable data loss before a failure occurs, not during crisis.
Pre-define allocation rules for contested time blocks…
Before any contested time block arrives, define the allocation rule (priority ordering, rotation schedule, or time-slice) that resolves contention in advance rather than negotiating access when the block arrives.
Pre-define information boundary overrides — real-time…
Define explicit override conditions for information boundaries in advance (on-call status, time-sensitive requests from key people) rather than negotiating exceptions in the moment when anxiety will generate spurious justifications.
Upgrade commitment enforcement to Level 3+…
Structure commitments at enforcement Level 3 or higher (environmental modification, social contract, or structural impossibility) rather than Level 1-2 (intention or implementation intention alone) when the commitment is irreversible, high-stakes, or has failed three or more times on willpower.
Calibrate commitment device strength to your failure…
Match the binding strength of commitment devices to the documented severity and frequency of past failures in that domain, using hard pre-commitments (physical impossibility or high cost) only for behaviors with long track records of in-the-moment failure.
Exit criteria must be state+date pairs…
Design exit criteria as state-plus-date pairs (observable condition + time horizon) rather than feeling-based thresholds, because feelings in the moment are precisely what the criteria exist to override.
Pre-script pressure implementation intentions
Before high-stakes interactions where your default pressure response typically fires, pre-script an implementation intention using the format: 'When I notice [specific somatic cue of my default], I will [specific alternative action] before [default response].'
Pre-decisions are defaults — follow them automatically…
Treat pre-decisions as defaults that activate automatically unless new information justifies override, distinguishing genuine context changes from familiar resistance wearing the costume of novelty.
Pre-decide at activity level…
Limit pre-decision scope to meaningful activity levels—what to eat, work on, when to exercise—not to fifteen-minute blocks, to avoid replacing decision fatigue with compliance fatigue.
Set calendar default duration to your actual most-common…
Set your calendar's default meeting duration to match your actual most-common meeting length (e.g., 25 minutes if that's what you schedule 90% of the time) to convert repeated decisions into one-time pre-commitment.